The main disadvantage of building geothermal energy plants is that they are highly location-specific. Geothermal power plants require access to geothermal reservoirs with sufficiently high temperatures (usually above 100°C or 149°C) that are typically found only near tectonic plate boundaries or volcanic hotspots. This restricts where such plants can be feasibly constructed, limiting geothermal energy's widespread deployment
. Additionally, geothermal plants have very high upfront construction and drilling costs. The expense of drilling deep wells and installing specialized equipment makes geothermal power plants significantly more expensive initially compared to other renewable energy sources like solar and wind
. There are also environmental concerns associated with geothermal plants, including the potential to induce earthquakes due to underground drilling and fluid injection, as well as possible surface instability and minor emissions of gases such as sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. However, these emissions are much lower than those from fossil fuel plants, and modern plants often recycle geothermal fluids to minimize impacts
. In summary, the main disadvantage is the combination of location dependency and high upfront costs, along with some environmental risks related to seismic activity and surface disturbance.
